Columbus Clippers 3, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)
Sawyer Gipson-Long posted his best outing of the season, but the Hens’ bats slumbered on Saturday.
The right-hander has been up and down since rehabbing a preseason injury, and is still not far removed from rehabbing the Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2024 and most of the 2025 seasons. If he was back throwing 93-95 mph we’d be pretty enthusiastic about giving him a look, but his fastball is still sitting around 92 mph this spring.
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Gipson-Long gave up three singles that led to two runs in the top of the first inning on Saturday, and then locked down the Clippers entirely the rest of his outing. He went five innings, allowing just two more hits and no walks, while striking out eight. He racked up 12 whiffs on 44 swings, getting them with his fourseamer, slider, and changeup for the most part.
In the bottom of the first, Gleyber Torres led off by lining out to second baseman Juan Brito. Kerry Carpenter drove a ball 380 feet to center field, but Kahlil Watson was there to haul it in.
Ben Malgeri led off the second with a solo shot, his seventh homer of the season. 2-1 Clippers.
Torres struck out on a high fastball in the third, while Carpenter walked. The latter was then pinch-run for by Tyler Gentry, and appears set to return to the Tigers on Sunday. Torres grounded out in the fifth and took a called third strike in the seventh.
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In the top of the seventh against the Hens’ Matt Seelinger, Nolan Jones tripled and then scored on an Angel Genao sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. Tanner Rainey spun the final two innings for the Hens, allowing just a walk while striking out two.
Malgeri: 2-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K
Gipson-Long (L, 2-3): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 2:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday.
Erie SeaWolves 4, Chesapeake Baysox 0 (box)
Sean Hunley tossed a good short start, while Izaac Pacheco provided the power as the SeaWolves won on Saturday.
The SeaWolves got started in the bottom of the second when Justice Bigbie led off with a walk. Andrew Jenkins singled him to second, but Pacheco grounded into a force of Jenkins at second. E.J. Exposito walked to load the bases, and Bigbie scored on a Bennett Lee ground out. That was all they got but it was 1-0 SeaWolves.
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Hunley went 4.1 innings of scoreless ball, scattering four hits and no walks, while striking out three. Tyler Owens followed with five straight outs, three by strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Seth Stephenson, who has been scuffling the past week since returning from injury, singled with one out and the Baysox’s third baseman threw the ball away. The lightning fast Stephenson raced all the way around to score on the play, as the Baysox right fielder had to collect the ball and then fired wildly for his own throwing error.
In the bottom of the sixth, Bigbie was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Pacheco smashed towering shot to right center field for his fifth homer of the season, and it was 4-0, where it would end.
Yosber Sanchez, Trevin Michael, and Wandisson Charles were all solid in relief, allowing no hits the rest of the way.
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Pacheco: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K
Bigbie: 1-2, 2 R, BB
Graham: 1-3, BB, 2 K, 2 SB
Hunley: 4.1 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves can split the series with a win on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. ET.
Lansing Lugnuts 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 6 (box)
The West Michigan Whitecaps are, like their parent club, a disaster area. Winners of just four games in May, they dropped another one on Saturday, and also parroting the Tigers, they were yet again walked off. The Whitecaps bullpen has been the major culprit all along.
The ‘Caps lineup got right to work. Ricardo Hurtado walked with one out, and Garrett Pennington singled. Bryce Rainer smashed a missile high off the big wall in right center field for a two-run double. That ball was estimated to have flown 435 feet if not interrupted by said high wall. The double was undercut by the fact that Mr. Rainer had never hit a ball like that and not gotten a home run out of it, and he should have been standing on third base on the play instead. A Clayton Campbell single got Rainer to third, and a Jackson Strong sac fly made it a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Woody Hadeen drilled a single to right field and Hurtado doubled him to third. Pennington stepped in and roped an opposite field double to score both runs and make it 5-0.
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Rayner Castillo was better in this one as well. The right-handed sinkerballer hasn’t recovered the mid-90’s velo on his sinker fully yet, but he allowed a solo shot in the third and no more. Castillo punched out six, walking two and allowing three hits total in his outing.
Preston Howey, freshly rehabbed in Lakeland, handled the fifth and sixth, allowing a solo shot in the latter that made it 5-2. He got the first two outs of the seventh before departing.
In the top of the seventh, Hadeen, also freshly rehabbed, led off with a single and Hurtado was hit by a pitch. The Lugnuts went to Luis Carrasco out of their pen, and he punched out Pennington and Rainer. However, Campbell and Strong both drew walks to force in another run. 6-2 Whitecaps.
The ‘Caps Juanmi Vasquez took over in the eighth. The lefty was the return from the Blue Jays for Connor Seabold. He gave up two unearned runs in the inning after a Pennington error.
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In the bottom of the ninth, Jalen Evans took over for the save. He gave up a leadoff single, and with one out, wild pitched the runner to second. Still, it was a 6-4 lead, and he struck out the next hitter. Needing one more out, Evans surrendered an RBI single, and then a two-run walkoff shot from Dylan Fien.
Pennington: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K
Hadeen: 2-5, 2 R
Rainer: 1-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K, SB
Castillo: 4.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday with the Lugnuts up 3-2 in the series.
Palm Beach Cardinals 7, Lakeland Flying Tigers 6 (box)
Palm Beach locked up a series victory, walking off the Flying Tigers on Saturday.
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Caleb Leys was shaky in his start, giving up three runs over the first 2.1 innings of work. Jan Carabello cleaned up the third, threw a scoreless fourth, and then allowed two runs in the fifth.
At that point it was 5-2 Palm Beach after the Flying Tigers scored two in the fourth. Zach MacDonald had led off with a single, then stole second and third base. Jude Warwick plated him with a sacrifice fly. Edian Espinal then followed with a solo shot to right. The second baseman turned catcher has been an interesting story to follow in Lakeland this spring.
Jordan Yost walked to start the sixth inning and MacDonald was hit by a pitch. They were each given 90 feet on a balk, and after Nick Dumesnil struck out and the Cardinals went back to the bullpen, Warwick came through with a lined single to center to plate both runners and took third on an error on the play. Espinal lifted a sac fly to score Warwick and tie the game 5-5.
Carson Rucker was then hit by a pitch and left the game. Jack Goodman was plunked next, and Javier Osorio walked to load the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, Jesus Pinto grounded out to strand all three.
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In the seventh the Flying Tigers seized the lead briefly when Yost walked to start the inning and took second on a wild pitch. MacDonald and Dumesnil both struck out, but once again it was Warwick with an RBI single to center to give them a one run lead.
Unfortunately, Eliseo Mota allowed a run in the seventh that tied things at 6-6, and in the ninth, Luke Hoskins blew the save.
Warwick: 2-3, R, 3 RBI
Yost: 0-2, 2 R, 3 BB, SB
MacDonald: 1-4, 2 R, 2 K, 2 SB
Leys: 2.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 0 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 12:30 p.m. ET start on Sunday with the Cardinals up 4-1 in the series.
FCL Tigers 5, FCL Blue Jays 3 (F/7)(box)
The rehabbers helped carry the day on Saturday. Jack Penney cracked a two-run shot with fellow rehabber Nolan McCarthy aboard in the first inning.
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Owen Hall gave up two runs, one earned, in 3.1 innings of work. He walked one and struck out one on the day.
It was 3-2 Blue Jays, but in the seventh Martin Tamara and Angel de los Santos singled, and McCarthy walked this one off with a three-run shot.
De Los Santos: 1-3 R, BB
Penney: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
McCarthy: 1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB
Hall: 3.1 IP, 2 R, ER, 2 H, BB, K
